Propagation trays having multiple cells or cups, each cup holding a media plug within which a seed or seedling or cutting may be placed, are generally used for starting plants. The trays are commonly made of injection molded or thermoformed plastic, and a variety of media plugs (or, simply, plugs) may be used. Some trays include square shaped cups for holding media plugs, and other trays include circular shaped cups. The trays typically resemble a cupcake tin, with each of the cups having roughly square or cylindrical shape, and the media plugs are typically square or cylindrically shaped sections of peat moss, rock wool, or compost.
Once each of the individual plant starts matures to a desired size, the starts are removed from the tray, allowing the tray to be repopulated with new media plugs for propagating a new batch of plants. Most trays are inexpensive and comprise flimsy thin plastic, and most media plugs are simply small cut sections of a particular chosen growing media. Neither have been the subject of various improvements directed to tray manufacturability and use, insertion of media plugs into the tray cells, root formation of the plant starts, composition of the media plugs themselves, the combination of improved cell design and media plug composition and design, or other areas of potential improvement. The inattention to improvements in propagation trays and media plugs is likely due to a number of factors, not the least of which may be the commoditization of such horticulture products and a lack of cost effective, quality alternatives that include innovations in tray and media plug design.
What is needed are new and innovative designs for a multiple cell propagation tray and media plugs for use in such a tray that offer improvements in cost, quality, delivery, performance, and/or feature content over existing propagation trays and medial plugs. What is needed are new and innovative methods and apparatuses for a multiple cell tray and media plugs that provide easier use and improved growing performance.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.